BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Green Investment Bank

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  for what reason new nuclear power plants were included in the target subsectors in his Department's invitation to tender for the specification for the Green Investment Bank product research published in late 2010;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the extent to which the support for new nuclear power provided by the Green Investment Bank is compatible with the Government's policy on public subsidy for new nuclear power.

Mark Prisk: Officials are continuing work on the Green Investment Bank's (GIB) form, remit and function, and our conclusions will be published in May. Decisions will be informed by current work to model and test possible products which the GIB could offer over the longer term.
	Decisions have not yet been taken on the GIB's remit and whether or not to include nuclear within it. Any GIB products for nuclear will be consistent with the Government's policy that there will be no levy, direct payment or market support for electricity supplied or capacity provided by a private sector new nuclear operator, unless similar support is also made available more widely to other types of generation.

Higher Education Innovation Fund

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much Higher Education Innovation Fund funding  (a) has been allocated to each higher education institution in each of the last five years and  (b) he expects to allocate to each higher education institution in each of the next three years; and if he will make a statement.

David Willetts: Allocations to individual institutions are a matter for the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE). The following documents give the allocations for each institution in the last five years:
	 2006/07 to 2007/08:
	http://www.hefce.ac.uk/pubs/hefce/2006/06_30/06_30a.xls
	http://www.hefce.ac.uk/pubs/hefce/2006/06_30/06_30c.xls
	http://www.hefce.ac.uk/pubs/hefce/2006/06_30/06_30d.xls
	 2008/09 to 2010/11:
	http://www.hefce.ac.uk/pubs/hefce/2008/08_34/08_34b.xls
	The allocation of science and research funding 2011/12 to 2014/15 published on 20 December 2010, confirmed that total Higher Education Innovation Funding (HEIF) will be maintained in cash terms at £150 million per annum over the spending review period. HEFCE will rapidly reform HEIF to increase incentives for performance. Funding for individual institutions will be determined by HEFCE.

Higher Education: Liverpool

Stephen Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many students in higher education are normally resident in Liverpool, West Derby constituency.

David Willetts: The latest available information from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) shows 2,730 students enrolled at UK Higher Education Institutions were from Liverpool West Derby constituency in the 2009/10 academic year. This covers students on both full-time and part-time undergraduate and postgraduate courses. The equivalent information for students studying higher education courses at further education colleges is not available.

Office for Fair Access

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he plans to give new powers to the Office of Fair Access to monitor university access agreements.

David Willetts: holding answer 20 January 2011
	The Director of Fair Access at the Office for Fair Access (OFFA) is responsible for approving universities' and colleges' access agreements to safeguard access to higher education.
	On 7 December I published draft guidance to the Director of Fair Access setting out my expectations and suggestions as to how the Director might approach the approval and monitoring of institutions' access agreements. Final guidance will be published shortly.
	The basic and higher levels of graduate contribution are changing from 1 September 2012. Much more public funding will be reaching universities via students, supported by up-front loans from the public purse. These changes are significant, and we want to monitor their effects carefully. The draft guidance to the Director of Fair Access therefore asks him to review access agreements annually, rather than every five years as at present.
	We will be publishing a White Paper on higher education reforms during the early part of this year. As part of that we will consider if changes are needed to strengthen the role of the Director of Fair Access further.

Office for Fair Access: Manpower

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many staff are employed by the Office of Fair Access; how many were so employed in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

David Willetts: holding answer 20 January 2011
	In each of the last three years the Office for Fair Access has employed four staff, including the Director.

Overseas Trade: Middle East

Thomas Docherty: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the monetary value of  (a) exports and  (b) imports, including the monetary value of tourism, between the UK and (i) Lebanon, (ii) Syria, (iii) Jordan, (iv) Egypt and (v) Israel in the last year for which figures are available.

Mark Prisk: Overseas Trade Statistics data for UK trade in goods with the named countries are shown in the following table:
	
		
			  £ million 
			   UK exports  of goods 2009  UK imports  of goods 2009 
			 Lebanon 342 34 
			 Syria 147 77 
			 Jordan 245 40 
			 Egypt 945 656 
			 Israel 1,099 1,047 
		
	
	Table 9.13 of the UK Balance of Payments "Pink Book" gives the following figures for UK trade in services with the named countries:
	
		
			  £ million 
			   UK exports  of services 2009  UK imports  of services 2009 
			 Lebanon 83 32 
			 Syria 54 19 
			 Jordan 106 42 
			 Egypt 595 706 
			 Israel 527 324 
		
	
	Office for National Statistics (ONS) do not publish separate travel services data for these countries in the "Pink Book", but tables 2.10 and 3.10 of "Travel Trends" give the following figures for spending in the UK by overseas residents, and UK residents' spending abroad:
	
		
			  £ million 
			   Spending in the UK  by visitor' s country of residence 2009  UK  residents'  spending abroad by country of visit 2009 
			 Egypt 78 436 
			 Israel 117 85 
			 Other Middle East 675 302 
			  Note: 'Other Middle East' covers: Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, United Arab Emirates and the Yemen.

Research: Finance

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans he has to link future allocations of research degree supervision grant to research quality rather than volume; and if he will make a statement.

David Willetts: The "Allocation of Science and Research Funding 2011-15" published on 20 December 2010, available at:
	http://www.bis.gov.uk/news/topstories/2010/Dec/science-research-and-hefce-funding
	confirmed that the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) will reform funding provided to support the next generation of researchers to reward internationally excellent research quality. This also takes forward a recommendation in Review of Postgraduate Education, published in 2010. It will be for the HEFCE Board to determine how to achieve this.

Research: Finance

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many doctoral training centres his Department has funded in each of the last five years and at which institutions; how many such centres he expects to fund in each of the next three years; and if he will make a statement.

David Willetts: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills provides funding to the research councils which in turn may decide to provide funding for doctoral training centres.
	The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) is currently funding 77 doctoral training centres, an institutional breakdown is appended at the end of my answer. A breakdown of funding is as follows:
	In the years prior to 2007/08, EPSRC funded 34 doctoral training centres in areas of engineering and life sciences interfaces.
	In 2008/09 EPSRC launched a significant call for new centres (and including renewal of some of the previously funded centres) which led to the funding of 46 new (now designated) centres for doctoral training (CDTs) starting in October 2009.
	These centres were augmented in 2009/10 with an additional seven new centres starting in October 2010.
	Seven more centres in manufacturing and ICT to start during 2011 have recently gained approval by EPSRC.
	The council's plans for CDTs beyond October 2011 are under discussion.
	The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), as part of the new postgraduate training framework, has recently announced the funding of 21 doctoral training centres, to start from October 2011, over five years. An institutional breakdown appended at the end of my answer. The ESRC has not previously commissioned doctoral training centres.
	
		
			  EPSRC centres for doctoral training portfolio, January 2011 
			  Universities with CDTs  Number of centres 
			 Cranfield University 1 
			 Durham University 1 
			 Heriot-Watt University 1 
			 Imperial College London 6 
			 Lancaster University 2 
			 Loughborough University 2 
			 Newcastle University 1 
			 Queen Mary, University of London 1 
			 Swansea University 1 
			 The University of Manchester 5 
			 University College London 9 
			 University of Bath 2 
			 University of Birmingham 4 
			 University of Bristol 6 
			 University of Cambridge 2 
			 University of Edinburgh 1 
			 University of Glasgow 1 
			 University of Leeds 3 
			 University of Nottingham 4 
			 University of Oxford 4 
			 University of Reading 1 
			 University of Sheffield 3 
			 University of Southampton 3 
			 University of St Andrews 1 
			 University of Strathclyde 3 
			 University of Surrey 2 
			 University of Warwick 5 
			 University of York 2 
			 Total centres 77 
		
	
	
		
			  ESRC doctoral training centres starting in October 2011 
			  Lead HEI  Collaborating HEI 
			 University of Birmingham  
			 South West Consortium (Lead: University of Bristol) University of Bath 
			  University of Exeter 
			 University of Cambridge  
			 Wales Consortium (Lead: Cardiff University) Aberystwyth University 
			  Bangor University 
			  Swansea University 
			 North East Consortium (Lead: Durham University) Newcastle University 
			 Scottish Consortium (Lead: University of Edinburgh) Heriot-Watt University 
			  University of Aberdeen 
			  University of Dundee 
			  University of Glasgow 
			  University of St Andrews 
			  University of Stirling 
			  University of Strathclyde 
			 University of Essex  
			 Bloomsbury Consortium (Lead: Institute of Education) Birkbeck College 
			  London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine 
			  School of Oriental and African Studies 
			 King's College London  
			 North West Consortium (Lead: University of Liverpool) Lancaster University 
			  The University of Manchester 
			 London Business School  
			 London School of Economics and Pol Sci  
			 University of Nottingham  
			 University of Oxford  
			 White Rose Consortium (Lead: University of Sheffield) University of Leeds 
			  University of York 
			 University of Southampton  
			 South East Consortium (Lead: University of Surrey) Royal Holloway, Univ of London 
			  University of Kent 
			  University of Reading 
			 University of Sussex  
			 Queen Mary, University of London Goldsmiths College 
			 University College London  
			 University of Warwick

Retirement Homes: Unfair Practices

Paul Goggins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when he expects the Office of Fair Trading to conclude its investigation into the use of contract terms requiring the owners of retirement homes to pay fees on the sale or disposal of their properties; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Davey: The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) expects to make an announcement about the next steps for the case in the spring. It is taking forward this investigation as efficiently and fairly as possible.
	If the OFT concludes that some firms have used terms that are unfair for the purposes of the Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts Regulations 1999, it may obtain suitable commitments from the firms it is investigating to address its concerns. This would enable the investigation to be concluded more speedily. However, given the range and complexity of the issues, there is no guarantee that a resolution will be achievable on this basis. If the OFT decides to take court action, such action will take time to reach a conclusion.

Royal Mail: Pay

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what  (a) annual salary and  (b) related monetary incentives are to be paid to the chief executive of Royal Mail; and what discussions there were between officials of his Department and HM Treasury on this matter.

Edward Davey: Royal Mail's Remuneration Committee has set Moya Greene's remuneration package following discussions with the Department and the Treasury. Full details of her remuneration for 2010-11, including any performance bonus payments, will be published in Royal Mail's annual report and accounts alongside that for all other directors of the company.

Whisky: Exports

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans he has to discuss trade tariffs on Scotch whisky with his international counterparts for the purposes of increasing the level of exports.

Edward Davey: UK Ministers regularly raise tariff and other market access issues, including those of concern to the Scotch whisky industry, when meeting their international counterparts. In addition reductions in global tariffs are being sought in the Doha trade round negotiations and at a bilateral level in EU Free Trade Agreement negotiations.

CABINET OFFICE

Community Development

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the change in the level of social capital over the last 30 years;
	(2)  what mechanisms his Department has in place to assess the level of social capital within communities;
	(3)  what research his Department has commissioned on social capital in communities in the last five years;
	(4)  what assessment he has made of social capital levels within each socio-economic grouping.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated January 2011:
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Questions.
	The Office for National Statistics undertook a Social Capital Project between 2002 and 2005 to look at the measurement of this concept. A range of outputs were published, including an article examining trends in social capital over time, by location and through different sub-groups of the population. A set of harmonised questions for official surveys were also produced and these outputs are all available on the ONS website.
	Social capital is one of the potential components of National Well-being and this will be considered as part of the Measurement of National Well-being programme that the Office for National Statistics is currently taking forward.

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the rate of electoral registration was in each of the  (a) 100 most deprived wards and  (b) 100 least deprived wards in the latest period for which figures are available.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated January 2011:
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your question asking what the rate of electoral registration was in each of the (a) 100 most deprived wards and (b) 100 least deprived wards in the UK in the latest period for which figures are available (35230).
	ONS does not have the information available to identify the 100 most and 100 least deprived wards in the UK. The Indices of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) are available for each of the UK constituent countries, but a single UK measure is not appropriate and ward level information is no longer produced. Furthermore, population estimates by ward are required to give an approximation of the electoral registration rate. These are not available for Scotland.

Government Departments: Publicity

Phil Wilson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office which national publicity campaigns have been cancelled since the general election; and what cost to the public purse was incurred in each such case.

Francis Maude: I have asked the chief executive of the Central Office of Information to write to the hon. Member.
	 Letter from Mark Lund, dated 17 January 2011:
	As Chief Executive of the Central Office of Information (COI), I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Questions 33790 regarding the cancellations of national publicity campaigns.
	A record of all national publicity campaigns is not held centrally and this information could only be made available at disproportionate cost.
	Of the campaigns commissioned through the Central Office of Information since the General Election in 2010, none have been cancelled that have incurred a cost to the public purse.

Ministerial Policy Advisers: Redundancy Pay

Pete Wishart: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to the answer of 16 September 2010, Official Report, column 1222W, on ministerial policy advisers: redundancy pay, when he expects to publish details of severance payments made to special advisers in each department made redundant at the General Election.

Francis Maude: The total cost of severance payments made to special advisers made redundant at the last general election was published in the Prime Minister's written ministerial statement on special adviser numbers and cost on 28 October 2010,  Official Report, columns 19-23WS. It would not be appropriate to detail the costs by Department in order to protect the privacy of individuals.

Sure Start Programme: Hammersmith and Fulham

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what communications there have been between the Cabinet Office and Hammersmith and Fulham council on Sure Start programmes since the local government finance settlement was announced.

Nick Hurd: The Cabinet Office have had no discussions with Hammersmith and Fulham council on the Sure Start programme.

Voluntary Work: Regulation

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what steps he is taking to reduce the regulatory burden on volunteers.

Francis Maude: In order for us to create the Big Society, it is essential that we do what we can to encourage social action and reduce barriers to people volunteering.
	The Office for Civil Society and the Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) have established a joint red tape task force. Headed by Lord Hodgson, the task force will make recommendations to reduce the bureaucratic burdens on civil society organisations, including those involving volunteers. It is due to report to Cabinet Office and BIS Ministers shortly.
	In addition the Home Office and Department for Education (DfE) are currently reviewing the Criminal Records and Vetting and Barring regimes with the aim of scaling them back to common sense levels. The Office for Civil Society has been working with the Home Office and DfE to ensure that the impact of checks on volunteers is taken into account.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Councillors: Pay

Caroline Dinenage: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps he is taking to reduce the number of local council employees who receive salaries higher than that of the Prime Minister.

Bob Neill: The salaries of local authority chief executives are for each local authority employer to determine in the light of local circumstances. The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government has called for the most senior local government officers to consider a voluntary reduction in pay and also suggested that no new council chief executive should be paid more than the Prime Minister.
	The Government's view is that there needs to be greater local democratic accountability and transparency over senior remuneration arrangements and policies in local government. To achieve this, we have introduced provisions in the Localism Bill to ensure that councillors are better able to be held to account for their decisions on senior pay by requiring full council to agree and publish a senior pay policy statement. This will form the framework within which decisions on senior remuneration can be made transparently by the authority.
	The Government intend to publish and consult on a Draft Code of Recommended Practice for Local Authorities on Data Transparency shortly, including salary disclosure. Will Hutton has been commissioned by the Chancellor of the Exchequer to conduct an Independent Review of Fair Pay in the Public Sector, reporting back in March.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

British Sky Broadcasting

Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what recent discussions he or officials of his Department have had with representatives of  (a) News Corp and  (b) BSkyB on the potential takeover of BSkyB by News Corp;
	(2)  whether he has sought advice on  (a) sharing information and  (b) holding discussions with representatives of (i) News Corp and (ii) BSkyB on the recommendations of Ofcom on a possible takeover of BSkyB by News Corp prior to his decision on whether to refer the matter to the competition authorities;
	(3)  when he expects to publish the advice of Ofcom on the possible takeover of BSkyB by News Corp.

Jeremy Hunt: On 31 December 2010 I received Ofcom's report on the public interest issues relating to the News Corporation's proposed acquisition of BSkyB. In taking my decision about whether to refer this proposed acquisition to the Competition Commission, I will take as much time as necessary to carefully consider all the relevant information so that I am able to come to a fully considered decision. In view of the commercial sensitivity of the process and the need to preserve legitimate confidentiality, it would not be appropriate for me to comment on every stage of the process. I will publish Ofcom's report with commercially sensitive information redacted. I have not taken a final decision about when to publish, but I have a duty to publish the report before or at the time of the announcement of my decision. I am committed to reaching my decision in a fair and even-handed way, and am satisfied that the decision-making process will ensure all concerns are properly considered.

East London: Tech City

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what contribution his Department is making to the Prime Minister's initiative to create a Tech City in East London.

Edward Vaizey: Officials within the Department are working closely with UK Trade and Investment, the Department for Communities and Local Government, the Olympic Park Legacy Company, the London Borough of Hackney and other relevant parties to take forward the ambition for London's East End to become a world-leading technology city, centred around Shoreditch/Hoxton and the Olympic Park hubs.

Horseracing Levy

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport when he expects to announce the determination of the horseracing levy for 2011.

Hugh Robertson: The Secretary of State intends to make his determination on the basis of my advice by the end of February at the latest.

Internet

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of the number of households without access to the internet in England and Wales.

Edward Vaizey: Almost all households in the UK can access the internet through one of a variety of mechanisms-broadband connection, dial-up connection via the phone line, mobile or satellite.
	Broadband Delivery UK estimates that about 950,000 households have access to internet connections capable of 512 Kbps or less.

Libraries: Closures

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport which libraries in London are  (a) proposing to close and  (b) proposing to reduce their opening hours.

Edward Vaizey: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave her on 19 January 2011,  Official Report, column 775W.

Mass Media

Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport when he plans to publish his proposed local media action plan.

Jeremy Hunt: The Local Media Action Plan was published on the Department for Culture, Media and Sport's website on 19 January 2011. It can be found using the following link:
	http://www.culture.gov.uk/images/ConDoc-Local_Media _Action_Plan_190111.pdf

News Corporation

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport whether he plans to meet representatives of  (a) News Corporation and  (b) media organisations opposed to News Corporation's acquisition of BSkyB prior to taking a decision on whether to refer the proposed acquisition of BSkyB to the Competition Commission.

Jeremy Hunt: holding answer 20 January 2011
	 On 31 December 2010 I received Ofcom's report on the public interest issues relating to the News Corporation's proposed acquisition of BSkyB. In taking my decision about whether to refer this proposed acquisition to the Competition Commission, I will take as much time as necessary to carefully consider all the relevant information so that I am able to come to a fully considered decision. In view of the commercial sensitivity of the process and the need to preserve legitimate confidentiality, it would not be appropriate for me to comment on every stage of the process. I will publish Ofcom's report with commercially sensitive and confidential information redacted. I have not taken a final decision about when to publish, but I have a duty to publish the report before or at the time of the announcement of my decision. I am committed to reaching my decision in a fair and even-handed way, ensuring that all concerns are properly considered.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Radioactive Waste

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what consideration he has given to  (a) the use of near-surface nuclear waste repositories,  (b) retrieval of waste from such repositories for processing and  (c) processing of waste previously stored in such repositories.

Charles Hendry: Low level waste (LLW) is currently managed in near-surface facilities, principally at the low level waste repository (LLWR) in West Cumbria.
	A near-surface facility is also being developed at the Dounreay site in Scotland. Some lower hazard radioactive wastes are also disposed of to conventional landfills.
	Near-surface disposal is further being considered for certain intermediate level wastes subject to a facility achieving an Environmental Safety Case and other relevant permissioning. The requirements for a safety case are set out in guidance from the environment agencies. At the current time, such considerations are at an early feasibility stage and no such facilities currently operate.
	It is Government policy that higher activity wastes, such as high-level waste (HLW) from reprocessing, intermediate level waste and long-lived LLW and unreprocessed spent nuclear fuel will be disposed of in a geological disposal facility. The Committee on Radioactive Waste Management (CoRWM) spent more than two and a half years considering and evaluating all the options (including near-surface disposal) for managing higher activity radioactive waste on the basis of wide engagement with the expert community including international experience, stakeholders and members of the public. CoRWM recommended that geological disposal was the best available approach as part of a package of recommendations in 2006.
	By definition, disposal of radioactive wastes to near surface or geological facilities is undertaken with no intent to retrieve. There are a small number of examples in the UK where historic waste disposals have been retrieved and the waste repackaged and disposed of to modern standards.
	It should also be noted that the UK has a strong and effective nuclear safety and environmental regulatory regimes that ensure the safe disposal and management of radioactive waste.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much the Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund  (a) raised and  (b) cost to administer in each of the last four years.

Richard Benyon: The Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund (ALSF) was established at the same time as the Aggregates Levy, in 2002, complementing the Levy's objectives by targeting the environmental impacts directly. There is no direct financial link between the Fund and Levy; the Fund is managed by DEFRA and the Levy by HMRC. The Fund does not raise money whereas the Levy does and contributes to the general taxation pot. HMRC figures show that the following was raised over the last four financial years:
	
		
			   Total receipts (£ million) 
			 2007-07 321 
			 2007-08 339 
			 2008-09 334 
			 2009-10 275 
		
	
	DEFRA's administrative costs to run the ALSF have been approximately £472,000 (or approx £118,000 on average for each year) for the last four years. This cost was in addition to the fund itself. The funds are allocated to a number of primary delivery partners, many of which subsequently distribute on to others, so it is not possible to compile a complete breakdown of costs. However delivery partners are required to ensure that their administrative costs did not exceed 7% of their own ALSF budget allocation without prior approval. This was only sanctioned in one case.

Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to provide funding for  (a) community and  (b) archaeological projects hitherto funded through the Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund grant scheme.

Richard Benyon: There is no direct replacement for the Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund although the Department can provide funds through its Rural Development Programme for England programme-and through its support for bodies such as Natural England and Action with Communities in Rural England-to support and develop community projects.
	DEFRA also funds some options in Environmental Stewardship for management of farm land containing archaeological sites and artefacts.

Flood Control: Finance

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for how many capital schemes for flood risk management funded by the Environment Agency construction commenced in  (a) England and  (b) the Yorkshire and North East Region in (i) 2008-09, (ii) 2009-10 and (iii) 2010-11; and for how many such schemes will construction commence in (A) 2011-12 and (B) 2012-13.

Richard Benyon: Provision of a detailed breakdown of the number of Environment Agency capital schemes that commenced construction in England in the specified years would incur disproportionate cost.
	The following table shows the number of schemes that have been completed in each of the years requested, and provides a good indication of the number of schemes that would have commenced construction in the same period.
	
		
			   Number of schemes  completed in England 
			 2008-09 75 
			 2009-10 101 
			 2010-11 125 
		
	
	The following table indicates the number of schemes that commenced in the Yorkshire and north-east region in each of the years specified:
	
		
			   Number of schemes that commenced in Yorkshire and north-east region 
			 2008-09 4 
			 2009-10 9 
			 2010-11 5 
		
	
	 2011-12
	Figures are not yet available. The indicative funding allocation proposals for flood and coastal erosion risk management projects for 2011-12 are currently subject to discussion between the Environment Agency and its Regional Flood Defence Committees. Final decisions on the allocation of funds to regional committees will be made in February or March by the Environment Agency's Board, and decisions on the programmes of schemes to be delivered next year will be made by the committees in April.
	 2012-13
	The budget and number of projects for future years will depend on the outcome of DEFRA's 'Future funding for Flood and Coast Erosion Risk Management' consultation.

Sewers: Private Sector

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what mapping of  (a) private lateral drains and sewers and  (b) private pumping stations her Department has undertaken.

Richard Benyon: No mapping has taken place. It is not necessary to know the precise location of private sewerage assets to effect their transfer to water and sewerage companies under the Government's proposals for the transfer of private sewers.

Wood: Landfill

Anne McGuire: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether she has plans to bring forward proposals to introduce a ban on wood going to landfill.

Richard Benyon: The Government are not minded to introduce further landfill restrictions in England at present, but will consider how best to make further reductions in the amount of waste to going to landfill as part of the review of waste policies, due to conclude in spring 2011.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Departmental Art Works

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many pieces of artwork his Department has moved since May 2010.

Alistair Burt: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is not responsible for moving works of art displayed in its buildings either in the UK or abroad.
	Art displayed in FCO buildings is from the Government Art Collection (GAC) which is also responsible for its transport. Details of GAC art located in FCO buildings can be found on the GAC website:
	http://www.gac.culture.gov.uk/locations_browser.aspx

Departmental Art Works

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his Department has spent on artwork since May 2010.

Alistair Burt: On 13 May 2010 the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) spent £746 on posters/artwork for our embassy in Paris. Since then no artwork has been purchased for the diplomatic estate by the FCO.
	Works of art displayed in FCO buildings in the UK and throughout the network are from Government Art Collection (GAC), which publishes an annual list of acquisitions. The most recent details of acquisitions are contained in the annual report, available on the GAC website:
	http://www.gac.culture.gov.uk/images/documents/Reports/2009-2010_annual_report.pdf

Departmental Furniture

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his Department has spent on furniture since May 2010.

Alistair Burt: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Working Conditions

Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his Department's policy is on  (a) the space provided per employee,  (b) home working and  (c) hot desking; how many employees it has on average per desk; and how much space on average there is per employee.

Alistair Burt: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) seeks to apply the space guidelines laid down centrally by the Government Property Unit (GPU) wherever possible. The current guidelines are 10 sq m per full time employee (FTE). For any new fit-out or refurbishment a ratio of 8 square metres per FTE is applied.
	The FCO's policy on flexible working is that everyone has the right to request it. Flexible working is granted where the business need allows. Home working is one of a range of flexible working arrangements available to staff; there are approximately 30 home workers in the FCO.
	In newly refurbished and fitted out areas provision is made for hot desking. On average there are 1.2 FTEs per workstation. Given the heritage and listed building status of the FCO's buildings in London it is not always possible to achieve the GPU standards; for example, the average space per employee as reported in the latest benchmarking exercise is currently 14.3 square metres.

Hungary: Freedom of Expression

Denis MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to his Hungarian counterpart on new legislation limiting freedom of expression in that country.

David Lidington: I spoke to my Hungarian counterpart, Eniko Gyori, about the implications of this new legislation on 20 January. Freedom of the press is at the heart of a free society. The European Commission is currently reviewing the legislation to check whether it is in compliance with EU law and international norms and I look forward to hearing their findings.

Iraq: Christianity

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the government of Iraq on the treatment of Christians in that country; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: The Government utterly condemn the recent attacks on the Christian community in Iraq. I released a statement following the attack on Our Lady of Salvation Church in Baghdad on 31 October 2010, which killed 53 people, as did our ambassador to Baghdad, and Pope Benedict XVI. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary released a statement following further attacks across Baghdad on 2 November 2010. We will continue to raise our concerns at the highest level, particularly in wake of the most recent attacks on Christian homes in Baghdad.
	On 10 November 2010 the Foreign Secretary met the Iraqi Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hoshyar Zebari, and raised the issue of Iraqi Christians with him. Mr Zebari agreed that the protection of Christians was the responsibility of the Iraqi Government.
	My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister also raised this in a telephone conversation with Prime Minister al-Maliki on 15 November 2010. Prime Minister al-Maliki expressed concern at recent developments, and welcomed UK support.
	On 20 December 2010, Prime Minister al-Maliki's proposed Cabinet was approved by the Iraqi Council of Representatives, ending several months of hiatus since the March 2010 elections. We have since urged the Iraqi Government to address the key challenges facing Iraq and its people, particularly the protection of all Iraqis, including Christians.

Israel: Embassies

Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of vetting procedures in respect of the appointment of locally-engaged staff at the British Consulate in Jerusalem.

Alistair Burt: Before taking up employment, all our locally engaged staff undergo appropriate levels of security vetting in accordance with the Government's Security Policy Framework. We are confident in this process, but we keep our security procedures under constant review, and will take recent events into account as appropriate.

Israel: Embassies

Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will commission an investigation into a recent incident involving two employees of the British consulate in Jerusalem.

Alistair Burt: The two members of local staff of the Jerusalem consulate general arrested in December 2010 by Israeli authorities are subject to an ongoing legal process. Subject to the outcome of that process, we are conducting an internal investigation into the original circumstances of their employment. We are also reviewing whether current vetting procedures are appropriate and being applied correctly in all our posts.

Ministers' Private Offices

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his Department has spent on redecorating Ministerial offices since May 2010.

Alistair Burt: We have spent £2,107 plus VAT since May 2010. We aim to refurbish Offices every 10 years. Costs reflect the need to safeguard the historic interiors of a Grade I listed building.

Pakistan: Politics and Government

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department is taking to support opponents of religious extremism in Pakistan.

Alistair Burt: Religious tolerance is an important part of a democratic society. All Pakistani citizens should have their human rights protected by the Government of Pakistan, regardless of their religion or ethnicity. The UK works with the Government of Pakistan and civil society to help tackle the root causes of religious extremism in Pakistan.
	A major part of our Prevent programme in Pakistan is dedicated to working with Pakistanis in reducing the threat from violent extremism, and to build their capability to deal with it. Examples include providing platforms for leading international scholars to challenge the ideological justification for terrorism, and a campaign by former extremists to equip young people to challenge extremists' arguments. These interventions are designed to increase the resilience of particularly vulnerable groups against terrorists' narratives and ideology, and improve their ability to challenge these arguments where they encounter them.

HEALTH

Baby Care Units

Tristram Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make improving neonatal services, including nurse staffing, a priority for local services in the NHS Operating Framework for 2011-12.

Anne Milton: The "NHS Operating Framework for 2011-12" was published on 15 December 2010.
	It is for local healthcare providers to decide how best to organise their workforce to achieve better outcomes and value for money.

Care Quality Commission: Fees and Charges

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will assess the potential effects on the regulatory burden of proposals by the Care Quality Commission to charge registration fees; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: It is a standard principle that organisations that are regulated should meet the cost of regulation. It is therefore appropriate that all providers that are required to register with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) should pay a fee for registration.
	CQC is responsible for setting the level of registration fees payable by different providers, subject to consultation and the consent of the Secretary of State.
	CQC is committed to the principles of good regulation (proportionate, accountable, consistent, transparent and targeted) throughout its work. It has consulted on its proposals for registration fees that will apply from April 2011 and will publish its response in due course.

Food Standards Agency: Fees and Charges

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the cost to the livestock industry of the charging proposals envisaged by the Food Standards Agency; what assessment he has made of the impact of such charges on slaughterhouses; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: The proposals for moving towards full cost recovery and a maximum 70% full cost reduction (low throughput establishments) of meat hygiene and welfare at slaughter official controls are set out in a public consultation which closes on 1 February 2011. The total cost of these proposals for Great Britain is estimated to be £29.41 million, and using a working assumption, which originates from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, slaughterhouses would absorb one third of the cost and livestock producers the other two thirds; it is estimated the proposals would cost slaughterhouses £9.80 million, and livestock producers £19.61 million. These estimates do not factor in the efficiencies of £5.5 million to which the Food Standards Agency is committed, and therefore the costs could be less than those estimated.

Food Standards Agency: Fees and Charges

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he has taken to ensure the Food Standards Agency complies with the provision on publication of meat hygiene changes of EU Regulation 882/2004

Anne Milton: Article 27(12) of Regulation 882/2004 states:
	"The Member States shall make public the method of calculation of fees and communicate it to the Commission. The Commission shall examine whether the fees comply with the requirements of this Regulation."
	In August 2009, following a consultation exercise launched in December 2008 on the charging arrangements and charging levels for official controls carried out in the United Kingdom in approved meat premises, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) wrote to the European Commission. The letter advised that, with agreement of Ministers in all four UK countries, the FSA had decided to proceed with the introduction of a new system of calculating charges for meat hygiene and animal welfare at slaughter official controls. The letter explained the new system would base charges on the time cost of official controls in meat businesses and would continue to comply with Article 27 and Annex IV, Chapters I to III of Regulation 882/2004. It was confirmed these arrangements would take effect from 28 September 2009.
	Each country has its own legislation under The Meat (Official Controls Charges) 2009 which determine the charge method the FSA currently uses. To assist food business operators with a more comprehensive understanding, the FSA published an extensive charges guide which includes details of what is and is not chargeable. This was posted to all food business operators on 12 September 2009 and is also available on the FSA website at:
	www.food.gov.uk/foodindustry/meat/mhservice/chargesguide
	The FSA advises every food business operator, before the start of each financial year, what their charges will be. In addition the FSA keeps food business operators updated against European Union minimal requirements throughout the year.

General Practitioners

Glenda Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what  (a) upper and  (b) lower limits he has set for remuneration of members of GP commissioning boards; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: Commissioning consortia will be held to account by the NHS Commissioning Board for the outcomes they achieve for patients and their financial performance. Each consortium will have a constitution, which will specify the arrangements for how it will discharge its functions, including in relation to determining the remuneration and terms and conditions of its employees. Consortia will be able to pay employees such remuneration and employ them on such other terms and conditions as they may determine.
	We have, however, set out that consortia will receive an allowance for running costs that could be in the range of £25 to £35 per head of population by 2014-15. We will not determine the exact amount until further work has been undertaken with pathfinders. This work will explore the optimal balance between ensuring sufficient investment in organisational sustainability with maximising resources for front line services.

Influenza: Vaccinations

Nicola Blackwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the availability of influenza vaccine in Oxford West and Abingdon constituency.

Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what reports he has received on shortages of influenza vaccinations in Wirral primary care trust since October 2010.

Anne Milton: The Department has been aware of some reports of seasonal influenza vaccine supply issues in some parts of the country. General practitioners (GPs) in England order seasonal influenza vaccine direct from the manufacturers, according to their patient's needs. The national health service is working to ensure that any local vaccine shortages are managed effectively.
	The chief medical officer wrote to GPs in England on 6 January to confirm that they can use the H1N1 monovalent influenza vaccine Pandemrix, which will help protect people most at risk against the H1N1 virus which is causing the most illness. A copy of this letter has already been placed in the Library.
	There are potentially over 12 million doses of Pandemrix available to the NHS if needed.

Influenza: Vaccinations

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reason his Department did not offer influenza immunisations to all children under five years in the winter of 2010-11.

Anne Milton: The Government's policy on influenza vaccination is informed by the expert advice of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). The policy focuses on offering the vaccine to those at greatest risk from the effects of flu. JCVI does not recommend that children under the age of five outside the at-risk groups should be vaccinated.
	On 30 December, JCVI met to review its advice on seasonal flu vaccination. It issued the following statement:
	"JCVI was presented with data on the current seasonal influenza epidemiology, seroepidemological data collected during the 2009/10 pandemic, modelling of the impact of vaccination strategies during the pandemic, data on the effectiveness of influenza vaccines in the young and vaccine uptake and safety data.
	JCVI noted that a large proportion of those individuals with severe disease are in recognised risk groups for influenza but unfortunately were not vaccinated. It strongly re-iterated its previous advice that all individuals in risk groups should be vaccinated as soon as possible, particularly those aged less than 65 years.
	The committee considered the issue of offering vaccination to healthy children either 0-4 years and/or 5-15 years of age. However, although there is a high incidence of influenza-like illness currently in these age groups, a significant proportion of this is due to other viruses such Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV). In addition, only a very small proportion of those with severe disease are in these age groups. Based on previous seasonal influenza epidemiology it would be hoped that influenza circulation will have subsided within a month. We do not believe that seasonal or pandemic vaccine should be used for these or other healthy person groups. The greatest gain will be achieved in increasing vaccine uptake in the clinical risk groups."
	As with all vaccination programmes, JCVI will keep this matter under review.

NHS: East of England

Gavin Shuker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which Quality, Innovation, Prevention and Productivity plans he has received from NHS trusts in the East of England; and if he will publish those plans.

Simon Burns: Strategic health authorities have been developing their regional Quality, Innovation, Prevention and Productivity (QIPP) plans to meet their local efficiency challenge for over a year. Following the spending review and the publication of the "NHS Operating Framework for 2011-12" they have been working to integrate these into mutually reinforcing regional reform, QIPP and business plans. The Department will publish a summary of the regional plans in due course once the work to integrate and test the assumptions in the plans has been completed.

NHS: Official Hospitality

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much NHS hospitals in  (a) England,  (b) the North West and  (c) Cumbria spent on hospitality in each year since 2005.

Simon Burns: The information requested is not held centrally.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Overseas Aid

Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development when his Department expects to publish its humanitarian emergency response review.

Andrew Mitchell: The Humanitarian Emergency Response Review (HERR) is an independent review of the UK Government's emergency humanitarian assistance, which is being led by Lord Ashdown. As stated in the Department for International Development's (DFID's) business plan 2011-15, the HERR aims to publish its final report by the end of March 2011. However, at the request of its Advisory Board, it has built in a four-week deadline extension (until the end of April 2011), to allow for possible delays that would then mean having to wait until after Parliament's Easter recess to publish the report.

JUSTICE

Prisoners

Stephen Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many serving prisoners had an address in Liverpool, West Derby constituency immediately prior to committal.

Crispin Blunt: Information held on prisoners does not include home addresses provided immediately prior to committal at court but does include an address provided on first reception in to prison.
	As at 30 November 2010 there were 201 sentenced prisoners with a recorded residential address, as described below, in the Liverpool, West Derby constituency area. This figure includes sentenced male and female prisoners, adults, young offenders and juveniles. The figure does not include those held on remand.
	Information on a prisoner's residence is provided by prisoners on reception into prison and recorded on a central IT system. Addresses include a prisoner's home address, an address to which they intend to return on discharge and next of kin and these figures are included in the answer. If no address is given, a prisoner's committal court address is used as a proxy for the area in which a prisoner is resident. This is required for about 40% of the prison population. As there is no committal court in the West Derby constituency area, no prisoners have been included in the figures provided on this basis. However, there may be some under counting in respect of prisoners from the West Derby constituency who have not provided an address and for whom a proxy address elsewhere is used. No address has been recorded and no court information is available for around 3% of prisoners, these figures are also excluded from the answer.

Prisoners: Sexual Offences

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners serving sentences of less than four years have been convicted of  (a) violent and  (b) sexual offences.

Crispin Blunt: From the most recent available data, 31 December 2010, the number of prisoners serving sentences of less than four years was  (a) 5,648 for violent offences and  (b) 1,808 for sexual offences.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Serious Fraud Office

Paul Goggins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the likely effect on  (a) the operations of the Serious Fraud Office and  (b) the timetable for implementation of the Bribery Act 2010 of the review of the provisions of that Act announced by the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills.

Crispin Blunt: A timetable for commencement of the Bribery Act in spring 2011 was set out by the Lord Chancellor in a statement on 20 July 2010,  Official Report, column 11WS. The Serious Fraud Office is fully involved in preparations for the commencement of the Act, as indeed is the Crown Prosecution Service. As part of the Government's work on the growth review, the Secretary of State for Business and the Chancellor are meeting colleagues to discuss how their Departments can better support business.
	The growth review will ensure that every Government Department is doing everything it can to identify the obstacles for investment and help the country's economy grow.

Tribunals: Robert Oxley

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will estimate the cost of the tribunal case into the appeal made by Mr Robert Oxley held in Colchester on 13 December 2010.

Jonathan Djanogly: The average cost for the Tribunals Service of a completed appeal in the First-tier Tribunal - Social Security and Child Support (based on national 2009-10 data) is £282.

Tribunals: Robert Oxley

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much was paid to each person who sat on the appeals tribunal in Colchester on 13 December 2010 which considered cases including that of Mr Robert Oxley in respect of their attendance.

Jonathan Djanogly: The panel that sat in Colchester on 13 December 2010 and considered appeals, including that of Mr Robert Oxley, was composed of a judge, a medical member and a member with experience of disability. The current daily fees are: judge £424, medical member £310, member with experience of disability £192.
	Full details of judicial salaries and fees can be found on the Ministry of Justice website at:
	www.justice.gov.uk/publications/judicial-fees-salaries.htm

TRANSPORT

First Capital Connect

Gavin Shuker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment his Department made of First Capital Connect's compliance with committed obligations under its franchise agreement in the most recent four-weekly assessment period.

Theresa Villiers: holding answer 19 January 2011
	 Department for Transport officials monitor First Capital Connect's performance against the contract on a four weekly basis and meet with the operator every four weeks to review compliance against the franchisee's contractual commitments. This review includes operational performance and the delivery of committed obligations. During the most recent four-weekly assessment period, no contraventions of the franchise agreement were identified.

First Capital Connect

Gavin Shuker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what meetings  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials in his Department had with representatives of First Capital Connect between 5 May 2010 and 31 December 2010.

Theresa Villiers: The Secretary of State did not meet with First Capital Connect between 5 May 2010 and 31 December 2010. However, I met with First Capital Connect on 24 August 2010. Department for Transport officials meet regularly with First Capital Connect on matters pertaining to the franchise. Department for Transport Ministers have also met representatives from FirstGroup on other occasions.

First Capital Connect

Gavin Shuker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions First Capital Connect had with his Department on franchise obligations between 1 April 2006 and 3 December 2010.

Theresa Villiers: holding answer 19 January 2011
	 Department for Transport officials meet regularly with First Capital Connect to ensure compliance with the franchise agreement requirements. My officials also have regular meetings to discuss other developments with the operator, such as the implementation of the Thameslink programme.

First Capital Connect

Gavin Shuker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport in which four-weekly assessment periods his Department concluded that First Capital Connect is not in compliance with its franchise agreement between 1 April 2006 and 31 December 2010.

Theresa Villiers: holding answer 19 January 2011
	In September 2009, it was concluded that First Capital Connect had contravened its franchise agreement regarding two committed obligations.

First Capital Connect

Gavin Shuker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what information his Department collects as part of its four-weekly performance review of First Capital Connect.

Theresa Villiers: holding answer 19 January 2011
	First Capital Connect's franchise agreement contains agreed management provisions for a franchise performance meeting to be held once every railway period (every four weeks), supported by a report from the operator detailing the franchisee's performance with respect to a number of items. The information provided covers operational and financial performance as well as delivery against franchise obligations.

Heathrow Airport: Administrative Delays

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many representations he has received on delays at Heathrow airport in December; and if he will make a statement

Theresa Villiers: To date, the Department for Transport has received 59 items of correspondence in relation to December's severe weather effects on Heathrow.

Members: Correspondence

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he plans to reply to Questions 29626, 29628, 29629 and 29627, on winter weather, tabled on 6 December for ordinary written answer.

Theresa Villiers: holding answer 21 December 2010
	I answered these questions on the following dates:
	29627: 10 January 2011,  Official Report, columns 42-3W
	29626: 11 January 2011,  Official Report, columns 241-2W
	29629: 13 January 2011,  Official Report, columns 423-4W
	29628: 18 January 2011,  Official Report, column 665W.

Railways: Snow and Ice

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what information his Department holds on the East Coast Mainline train services from Edinburgh Waverley to London Kings Cross which were  (a) cancelled and  (b) delayed due to severe weather from 27 November 2010 to 21 December 2010.

Theresa Villiers: holding answer 12 January 2011
	The Department for Transport does not hold the information in the form requested.

Road Traffic: West Yorkshire

Stuart Andrew: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress has been made on plans to ease congestion on the A65 corridor between Leeds and Bradford.

Norman Baker: The A65 is part of the local road network. The relevant local highway authorities are responsible for traffic management and congestion relief.
	However the Department for Transport is providing funding, up to a maximum of £19.825 million, for a new Quality Bus Corridor, which is currently under construction on the Kirkstall road section of the A65 in Leeds.

TREASURY

Devolution: Finance

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he undertook an equality impact assessment of the effect on the delivery of services by the devolved administrations resulting from the termination of end of year flexibility.

David Gauke: The Government announced in the spending review that they are abolishing the end year flexibility (EYF) system at the end of 2010-11 and replacing it with a new system from 2011-12. However the Government will abide by existing commitments to the devolved Administrations to draw down EYF this year.
	The Government have not carried out an equality impact assessment of the effect of the termination of the end-of-year flexibility on the delivery of services. The role of the Treasury in making decisions about public expenditure in devolved areas of spending is to allocate resources-it is then for the devolved Administrations to decide how best to manage these resources. In devolved areas of spending it is for the devolved Administrations to conduct their own equality impact assessments of their policy proposals, in line with their legal obligations.
	The Treasury takes its statutory equality duties very seriously. I work closely with my colleagues, especially the Home Secretary and Minister for Women and Equalities, to ensure that HM Treasury complies with its statutory obligations.

Devolution: Finance

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what considerations his Department took into account in removing end of year flexibility from the budgeting provisions of the devolved Administrations; and if he will make a statement.

David Gauke: Delivering the spending plans announced in the Government's 2010 spending review will require a robust framework to control spending. The End Year Flexibility (EYF) system which allows Departments and the devolved Administrations to carry forward unspent budget provisions into future years to discourage wasteful end-year spending has, in practice, led to accumulated stocks that would further increase the deficit if they were spent. The Government plans to abolish the existing EYF system at the end of 2010-11 and replace it with a new system from 2011-12 which will retain an incentive to avoid wasteful end-year spending and strengthen spending control.
	In addition, the devolved Administrations are able to carry forward planned reductions in spending from 2010-11 to 2011-12 if they wish.

Excise Duties and VAT: Fuels

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will assess the effectiveness of a fuel price stabiliser for petrol calculated on the basis of  (a) value added tax,  (b) fuel duty and  (c) value added tax and fuel duty; and if he will make a statement.

Justine Greening: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 1 November 2010,  Official Report, column 665W, to my hon. Friend the Member for Richmond Park (Zac Goldsmith).

Excise Duties: Fuels

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what representations he has received on introducing a fuel duty escalator for petrol prices  (a) in rural areas and  (b) nationally; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what recent representations he has received from those resident in North Yorkshire on a fuel rebate for rural areas;
	(3)  what criteria his Department plans to apply for the definition of rural areas qualifying for a rebate on fuel;
	(4)  what recent representations he has received on the fuel pump prices of  (a) petrol and  (b) diesel in (i) North Yorkshire and (ii) other parts of the UK; and if he will make a statement;
	(5)  what recent representations he has received on the level of duty on  (a) petrol and  (b) diesel fuel; and if he will make a statement.

Justine Greening: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Na h-Eileanan an Iar (Mr MacNeil) on 1 November 2010,  Official Report, column 664W. The Government are taking forward this action because of the high costs of transporting and distributing fuel to remote Scottish Islands and the Scilly Isles.
	The Chancellor routinely receives a range of representations from stakeholders and the general public on current and future rates of excise duty as well as other issues such as road fuel prices.

Income Tax: Children

Guto Bebb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the increase in the number of people in single income households with children who will pay income tax at the higher rate from April 2011.

David Gauke: holding answer 21 December 2010
	The number of people in single income households with children who will pay income tax at the higher rate from April 2011 is estimated to be around 175,000. This is estimated to be around 20,000 higher than the equivalent number from April 2010.
	Single income households with children include couples with children where there is only one income as well as lone-parents. These households are all within the top 19% of household incomes.

Members: Correspondence

Gordon Banks: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to respond to the letter from the hon. Member for Ochil and South Perthshire to the Prime Minister of 3 November 2010, transferred to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on 16 November 2010 and to the Treasury on 29 November 2010.

David Gauke: The Financial Secretary to the Treasury, my hon. Friend the Member for Fareham (Mr Hoban), replied to the hon. Member for Ochil and South Perthshire on 19 January 2011.

Northern Ireland Executive: Finance

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will reverse his decision to remove end of year flexibility from the budgetary provisions of departments of the Northern Ireland Executive.

David Gauke: The Government are abolishing the End Year Flexibility system, including all accumulated stocks, at the end of 2010-11 and replacing it with a new system from 2011-12 which will retain an incentive to avoid wasteful end-year spending and strengthen spending control. Further detail will be set out later this financial year.
	The Government are standing by their existing commitment to the Northern Ireland Executive to draw down End Year Flexibility (EYF) in the current year and their commitment to carry forward underspends for the Department of Justice under the terms of the £800 million funding package which accompanied the devolution of Policing and Justice.

VAT: Charities

Caroline Dinenage: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has plans to bring forward proposals to enable charities to reclaim value added tax on the same basis as limited companies.

David Gauke: Charities can already recover VAT incurred on their purchases and expenses in the same way as limited companies-that is, to the extent that those purchases and expenses relate to taxable sales that they make. Neither charities nor businesses can recover VAT that relates to exempt sales or non-business activities.
	Unlike businesses, charities benefit from a range of tax reliefs which for 2009-10 the Government estimate are worth approximately £3 billion per annum. These include reliefs from VAT, for example: VAT zero-rating on the sale of donated goods, medical and scientific equipment and, for qualifying charities, goods for use by disabled people. All zero rates are derogations from the normal EU VAT rules, and represent benefits not enjoyed by charities elsewhere in Europe.

Working Tax Credit

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many individuals receive the 50+ element of the working tax credit in each local authority.

David Gauke: The information requested is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Local authority  Number of households  receiving the 50+ element 
			 Aylesbury Vale - 
			 Chiltern - 
			 South Bucks - 
			 Cambridge 35 
			 East Cambridgeshire - 
			 Huntingdonshire 30 
			 South Cambridgeshire - 
			 Allerdale 30 
			 Barrow-in-Furness - 
			 Carlisle 45 
			 Eden - 
			 South Lakeland - 
			 Amber Valley 25 
			 Bolsover 25 
			 Chesterfield 25 
			 Derbyshire Dales - 
			 Erewash - 
			 High Peak - 
			 North East Derbyshire 25 
			 South Derbyshire 25 
			 East Devon 35 
			 Exeter 65 
			 Mid Devon 25 
			 North Devon - 
			 South Hams 25 
			 Teignbridge 55 
			 Torridge - 
			 West Devon - 
			 Christchurch 45 
			 East Dorset - 
			 North Dorset 35 
			 Purbeck - 
			 West Dorset - 
			 Weymouth and Portland 40 
			 Eastbourne - 
			 Hastings - 
			 Lewes - 
			 Rother - 
			 Wealden - 
			 Basildon 40 
			 Braintree - 
			 Brentwood - 
			 Castle Point - 
			 Chelmsford - 
			 Colchester 30 
			 Epping Forest - 
			 Harlow 25 
			 Tendring 40 
			 Boston 45 
			 East Lindsey 65 
			 Lincoln - 
			 North Kesteven - 
			 South Holland 40 
			 South Kesteven 50 
			 West Lindsey 25 
			 Broad land - 
			 Great Yarmouth 25 
			 King's Lynn and West Norfolk - 
			 North Norfolk 60 
			 Norwich 30 
			 South Norfolk 30 
			 Corby 45 
			 Daventry - 
			 East Northamptonshire - 
			 Kettering 45 
			 Northampton 50 
			 South Northamptonshire - 
			 Wellingborough - 
			 Craven - 
			 Harrogate - 
			 Richmondshire - 
			 Ryedale 30 
			 Scarborough 50 
			 Selby - 
			 Ashfield 70 
			 Bassetlaw - 
			 Broxtowe 35 
			 Gedling 30 
			 Mansfield 35 
			 Newark and Sherwood 25 
			 Rushcliffe - 
			 Cherwell - 
			 Oxford - 
			 Vale of White Horse - 
			 West Oxfordshire - 
			 Mendip 25 
			 Sedgemoor - 
			 South Somerset 40 
			 Taunton Deane 35 
			 West Somerset - 
			 Cannock Chase - 
			 East Staffordshire 25 
			 Lichfield - 
			 South Staffordshire 30 
			 Stafford 30 
			 Staffordshire Moorlands 40 
			 Brent 35 
			 Bromley 30 
			 Camden 25 
			 Croydon 35 
			 Ealing - 
			 Enfield - 
			 Greenwich 50 
			 Hackney - 
			 Haringey 65 
			 Harrow - 
			 Havering 35 
			 Hillingdon - 
			 Hounslow - 
			 Islington - 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 40 
			 Kingston-upon-Thames - 
			 Lambeth 40 
			 Lewisham - 
			 Merton 50 
			 Newham 75 
			 Redbridge 40 
			 Richmond-upon-Thames - 
			 Southwark 60 
			 Sutton - 
			 Tower Hamlets 60 
			 Waltham Forest - 
			 Wandsworth 30 
			 Westminster 30 
			 Bolton 110 
			 Bury 25 
			 Manchester 160 
			 Oldham 50 
			 Rochdale 80 
			 Salford 80 
			 Stockport 55 
			 Tameside 25 
			 Trafford 50 
			 Wigan 110 
			 Knowsley 100 
			 Liverpool 345 
			 St Helens 25 
			 Sefton 90 
			 Wirral 85 
			 Barnsley 100 
			 Doncaster 90 
			 Rotherham 115 
			 Sheffield 150 
			 Gateshead 50 
			 Bournemouth UA 70 
			 Poole UA 25 
			 Swindon UA 35 
			 Wiltshire 80 
			 Peterborough UA 30 
			 Luton UA 25 
			 Bedford 25 
			 Central Bedfordshire 50 
			 Southend-on-Sea UA 65 
			 Thurrock UA - 
			 Medway UA 35 
			 Bracknell Forest UA 35 
			 West Berkshire UA 25 
			 Reading UA - 
			 Slough UA - 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead UA - 
			 Wokingham UA - 
			 Milton Keynes UA 35 
			 Brighton and Hove UA 90 
			 Portsmouth UA 40 
			 Southampton UA 30 
			 Isle of Wight UA - 
			 Isle of Anglesey 25 
			 Gwynedd 30 
			 Conwy 30 
			 Denbighshire 30 
			 Flintshire 60 
			 Wrexham 60 
			 Powys 55 
			 Ceredigion 25 
			 Pembrokeshire - 
			 Carmarthenshire 75 
			 Swansea 60 
			 Neath Port Talbot 40 
			 Bridgend 50 
			 Vale of Glamorgan 30 
			 Rhondda, Cynon 115 
			 Merthyr Tydfil 55 
			 Caerphilly 75 
			 Blaenau Gwent 25 
			 Torfaen 55 
			 Monmouthshire - 
			 Newport 90 
			 Cardiff 100 
			 Aberdeen City 45 
			 Aberdeenshire 45 
			 Angus - 
			 Argyll and Bute 35 
			 Uttlesford - 
			 Cheltenham - 
			 Cotswold - 
			 Forest of Dean - 
			 Gloucester - 
			 Basingstoke and Deane 25 
			 East Hampshire - 
			 Eastleigh - 
			 Fareham - 
			 Hart - 
			 Havant - 
			 New Forest 30 
			 Rushmoor - 
			 Test Valley - 
			 Winchester - 
			 Dacorum 25 
			 East Hertfordshire - 
			 Hertsmere - 
			 Stevenage - 
			 Welwyn-Hatfield - 
			 Ashford - 
			 Canterbury 55 
			 Dartford - 
			 Dover 40 
			 Gravesham - 
			 Maidstone 25 
			 Shepway 30 
			 Swale 25 
			 Thanet 85 
			 Tonbridge and Malling 30 
			 Tunbridge Wells 35 
			 Burnley - 
			 Chorley 35 
			 Hyndburn - 
			 Lancaster 60 
			 Pendle - 
			 Preston 65 
			 Ribble Valley 30 
			 Rossendale - 
			 South Ribble 25 
			 West Lancashire 70 
			 Wyre - 
			 Blaby 30 
			 Charnwood - 
			 Hinckley and Bosworth 25 
			 Melton - 
			 North West Leicestershire - 
			 Oadby and Wigston - 
			 Tamworth - 
			 Babergh - 
			 Ipswich 25 
			 Mid Suffolk - 
			 St. Edmundsbury - 
			 Suffolk Coastal 30 
			 Waveney 35 
			 Elmbridge - 
			 Guildford - 
			 Mole Valley - 
			 Spelthorne - 
			 Woking - 
			 North Warwickshire 25 
			 Nuneaton and Bedworth - 
			 Rugby 35 
			 Stratford-upon-Avon - 
			 Warwick 25 
			 Adur - 
			 Arun 35 
			 Chichester 30 
			 Horsham - 
			 Mid Sussex 25 
			 Worthing 30 
			 Bromsgrove 35 
			 Malvern Hills 25 
			 Redditch - 
			 Worcester 50 
			 Wychavon 25 
			 Wyre Forest 30 
			 Derry - 
			 Limavady - 
			 Coleraine - 
			 Ballymoney - 
			 Magherafelt 25 
			 Cookstown - 
			 Strabane - 
			 Dungannon - 
			 Craigavon - 
			 Armagh - 
			 Newry and Mourne - 
			 Down - 
			 Lisburn - 
			 Newtonabbey 40 
			 Ards - 
			 Belfast 25 
			 Barking and Dagenham 30 
			 Barnet 30 
			 Bexley 30 
			 Newcastle-upon-Tyne 75 
			 North Tyneside 85 
			 South Tyneside 95 
			 Sunderland 120 
			 Birmingham 315 
			 Coventry 35 
			 Dudley 70 
			 Sandwell 50 
			 Solihull 35 
			 Walsall 60 
			 Wolverhampton 70 
			 Bradford 145 
			 Calderdale 105 
			 Kirklees 130 
			 Leeds 160 
			 Wakefield 105 
			 Hartlepool UA 55 
			 Middlesbrough UA 30 
			 Redcar and Cleveland UA 60 
			 Stockton-on-Tees UA 65 
			 Darlington UA 30 
			 County Durham 220 
			 Northumberland 00EM 120 
			 Cheshire East 40 
			 Halton UA 45 
			 Warrington UA 35 
			 Cheshire West and Chester 55 
			 Blackburn with Darwen UA 110 
			 Blackpool UA 65 
			 Kingston-upon-Hull UA 95 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire UA 60 
			 North East Lincolnshire UA 85 
			 North Lincolnshire UA 70 
			 York UA 25 
			 Derby UA 50 
			 Leicester UA 85 
			 Nottingham UA 90 
			 Herefordshire UA 55 
			 Telford and Wrekin UA 75 
			 Shropshire 60 
			 Stoke-on-Trent UA 65 
			 Bath and North East Somerset UA - 
			 Bristol, City of UA 70 
			 North Somerset UA - 
			 South Gloucestershire UA - 
			 Cornwall 235 
			 F reading 40 
			 Torbay UA 90 
			 Scottish Borders, The - 
			 Clackmannanshire - 
			 West Dunbartonshire - 
			 Dumfries and Galloway 85 
			 Dundee City 90 
			 East Ayrshire 50 
			 East Dunbartonshire 25 
			 East Lothian 35 
			 East Renfrewshire - 
			 Edinburgh, City of 155 
			 Falkirk 30 
			 Fife 95 
			 Glasgow City 270 
			 Highland 105 
			 Inverclyde 90 
			 Midlothian - 
			 Moray 30 
			 North Ayrshire 45 
			 North Lanarkshire 130 
			 Orkney Islands - 
			 Perth and Kinross 60 
			 Renfrewshire 90 
			 South Ayrshire 50 
			 South Lanarkshire 95 
			 Stirling - 
			 West Lothian 50 
			 Eilean Siar (Western Isles) 35 
		
	
	These estimates are based on provisional information on families receiving Tax credits as at April 2010. Further details about these data can be found in the HMRC snapshot publication 'Child and Working Tax Credits. Geographical Analysis, April 2010'. This is available at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-geog-stats.htm
	Results for local authorities with less than 25 households receiving the 50+ element have been suppressed in order to avoid being disclosive.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Departmental Press Releases

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on how many occasions his Department has provided embargoed media briefings prior to an oral statement to the House since 26 May 2010; in respect of how many such briefings his Department was informed that the embargo had been breached; what steps were taken as a result of each such breach; and on how many occasions his Department has provided media briefings without an embargo prior to an oral statement to the House since 26 May 2010.

Chris Grayling: The Department provided an embargoed briefing to select media, MPs and stakeholders in advance of the oral statement marking the publication of the Welfare Reform White Paper, "Universal Credit: Welfare that Works". This embargo was respected by the parties concerned.
	Otherwise, the Department has not provided any media briefings without an embargo prior to an oral statement to the House since 26 May 2010.

Disability Living Allowance

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of carrying out a medical assessment on all recipients of disability living allowance.

Maria Miller: Medical assessments are not carried out on all recipients of disability living allowance therefore we are not able to say what the estimate of the cost to the public purse is of carrying out a medical assessment on all recipients of disability living allowance.
	There is expenditure on medical evidence which amounts to £14.4 million for the 2009-10 financial year for disability living allowance.
	 Notes:
	1. Medical evidence can involve a physical examination requested by PDCS and physical examinations carried out on behalf of employment support allowance (and the former incapacity benefit) that PDCS can request sight of; and
	2. Other types of medical evidence that has been sought that does not involve a physical examination, for example a general practitioners factual report.
	 Source:
	Department for Work and pensions Activity Based Management System.

Disability Living Allowance

Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what his most recent estimate is of the number of people of each  (a) age,  (b) sex,  (c) employment status and  (d) disability in receipt of the lowest care component of disability living allowance;
	(2)  what his most recent estimate is of the number of people in receipt of the lowest care component of disability living allowance.

Maria Miller: Information on the most recent estimate of the number of people in receipt of the lowest care component of disability living allowance-also broken down by age, gender and disability-has been placed in the Library. This information is not available by employment status. This is because disability living allowance can be paid in or out of work and information on employment status is therefore not collected in order to administer the benefit.

Disability Living Allowance

Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which  (a) individuals,  (b) organisations and  (c) independent specialists are referred to in his Department's consultation document on the reform of disability living allowance in respect of the development of the new assessment for disability living allowance.

Maria Miller: We are developing the proposals for the new assessment for personal independence payment in collaboration with a group of independent specialists in health, social care and disability, including disabled people. The group includes individuals from a range of relevant fields, such as occupational therapy, physiotherapy, psychiatry, social work, general practice and community psychiatric nursing, as well as representatives from RADAR and Equality 2025.
	Since DLA reform was announced in the Budget in June 2010, we have been consulting on our proposals informally with disabled people and a broad range of disability organisations, including representatives of the Disability Charities Consortium, the Disability Benefits Consortium and the Disabled Peoples Organisations Group. We launched our formal public consultation on our proposed reforms to DLA on 6 December 2010. We will have ongoing discussions with more disabled people and disability organisations to ensure that our reforms will assess more accurately and consistently who would benefit most from additional support, while continuing to tackle the inequalities faced by disabled people to lead full and active independent lives.

Disability Living Allowance

Stephen Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in each ward of Liverpool, West Derby constituency claim disability living allowance.

Maria Miller: The total number of disability living allowance recipients in Liverpool, West Derby parliamentary constituency as at May 2010 is 9,430. As ward boundaries do not exactly match constituency boundaries we are unable to provide you with information in the format you have requested.
	However, the following table provides you with information on the number of disability living allowance recipients in each ward for Liverpool local authority. The only two wards that we have been able to confirm are fully in the Liverpool, West Derby constituency have been italicized in the table.
	
		
			  Disability living allowance recipients in each ward  for Liverpool local authority-May 2010 
			  Ward  Number 
			 Abercromby 1,260 
			 Aigburth 1,130 
			 Allerton 1,365 
			 Anfield 1,400 
			 Arundel 980 
			 Breckfield 1,430 
			 Broadgreen 1,670 
			 Childwall 1,060 
			 Church 1,085 
			 Clubmoor 1,380 
			 County 1,655 
			  Croxteth 1,410 
			 Dingle 1,485 
			  Dovecot 1,590 
			 Everton 1,075 
			 Fazakerley 1,520 
			 Gillmoss 1,830 
			 Granby 1,615 
			 Grassendale 970 
			 Kensington 1,510 
			 Melrose 1,530 
			 Netherley 995 
			 Old Swan 1,270 
			 Picton 1,160 
			 Pirrie 1,640 
			 St Mary's 1,495 
			 Smithdown 1,150 
			 Speke 1,225 
			 Tuebrook 1,560 
			 Valley 1,160 
			 Vauxhall 1,215 
			 Warbreck 1,760 
			 Woolton 1,000 
			  Notes: 1. Caseload figures by Parliamentary Constituency are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Figures do not include people with entitlement where the payment has been suspended, for example if they are in hospital. 3. Constituencies used are for the Westminster Parliament of May 2010. 4. Ward level caseload has been rounded to the nearest five. 5. These geographical areas are 2003 census CAS wards. All data are derived from the Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study (WPLS) used to produce national, regional and local authority caseload information. 6. Highlighted wards are the only two identified from the postcode directory as being fully in Liverpool, West Derby constituency. Therefore as ward boundaries do not exactly match constituency boundaries we have provided the data for all wards in Liverpool local authority area.  Source: DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study.

Disability Living Allowance

Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people were in receipt of an indefinite award for disability living allowance in each of the last 10 years.

Maria Miller: The information requested in contained in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of disability living allowance indefinite awards in payment in each of the last 10 years-GB 
			   All  Indefinite awards 
			 May 2010 3,157,300 2,239,500 
			 May 2009 3,070,600 2,158,500 
			 May 2008 2,973,600 2,066,200 
			 May 2007 2,881,800 1,977,500 
			 May 2006 2,799,200 1,919,900 
			 May 2005 2,729,700 1,875,100 
			 May 2004 2,644,300 1,831,300 
			 May 2003 2,547,100 1,781,400 
			 May 2002 2,424,400 1,725,800 
			 May 2001 2,306,400 1,662,700 
			  Notes: 1. Case load figures are rounded to the nearest hundred. 2. Totals show the number of people in receipt of an allowance, and excludes people with entitlement where the payment has been suspended, for example if they are in hospital.  Source: Department for Work and Pensions, Information Directorate  DLA figures are from 5% sample data. The preferred statistics on benefits are now derived from 100% data sources. However, the 5% sample data still provide some detail not yet available from the 100% data sources, in particular, more complete information on the disabling condition of DLA claimants. DWP recommends that, where the detail is only available on the 5% sample data, or disabling condition (DLA) is required, the proportions derived should be scaled up to the overall 100% total for the benefit.

Employment: Young People

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  whether his Department has an economic model which can be used to evaluate trends in youth unemployment;
	(2)  what methods his Department uses to forecast likely levels of youth unemployment;
	(3)  if he will place in the Library a copy of each economic model his Department uses to predict trends in youth employment.

Chris Grayling: The Department does not produce forecasts of unemployment. The Department produces projections for business planning purposes which are aligned to the overall independent claimant count forecasts published by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) as part of the autumn forecast.

Housing Benefit

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of  (a) pensioners,  (b) people of working age in work,  (c) people of working age who are unemployed,  (d) social sector tenants and  (e) private sector tenants receiving housing benefit in (i) Wirral South constituency and (ii) the Wirral local authority area.

Steve Webb: The economic status of all housing benefit recipients is not available nor is the information available by constituency.
	At present geographic breakdowns are available at local authority or regional level only. However, an exercise is being undertaken to add other geographical areas to the data which will include parliamentary constituencies.
	Detailed information is only available for those housing benefit recipients whose claim is not passported: that is for those who do not receive either income support, jobseekers allowance (income-based), employment and support allowance (income based), or pension credit (guaranteed credit). A small proportion of the passported cases will be in part-time employment.
	The available data for The Wirral local authority area is shown in the following table:
	
		
			   All tenants  Social tenants  Private sector tenants 
			 All housing benefit recipients 29,910 16,680 13,220 
			 Aged under 65, passported 16,840 8,440 8,390 
			 Aged under 65, non-passported, in employment 3,390 1,200 2,190 
			 Aged under 65, non-passported, not in employment 2,620 1,290 1,330 
			 Aged 65 and over 7,070 5,750 1,320 
			  Notes: 1. The data refers to benefit units, which may be a single person or a couple. 2. The figures have been rounded to the nearest 10. Totals may not sum due to rounding. 3. Housing benefit figures exclude any extended payment cases. An Extended Payment is a payment that may be received for a further four weeks when they start working full-time, work more hours or earn more money. 4. Tenure Type does not include recipients with unknown tenure type. 5. Passported Status does not include recipients with unknown passported status. 6. Claimants not in receipt of a passported benefit and are recorded as being in employment if their local authority has recorded employment income from either the main claimant, or partner of claimant (if applicable), in calculating the housing benefit award. People receiving passported benefits who are working part-time cannot be identified. 7. Age groups are based on the age on the count date (second Thursday in the month), of either: a. the recipient if they are single, or b. the elder of the recipient or partner if claiming as a couple. 
			 8. Housing benefit caseload and average weekly amounts are available at local authority area level and these are published on the Department's website at: http://www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/hbctb.asp  Source: Single Housing Benefit Extract (SHBE), October 2010

Invalid Vehicles: Robert Oxley

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the cost of the recovery of the Motability car from the home of Mr Robert Oxley of Colchester on 17 January 2011.

Maria Miller: I am unable to comment on individual cases and the information you requested is not held by the Government. Motability are an independent charitable organisation, wholly responsible for the administration of the Motability scheme.

Jobseekers Allowance

Stephen Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in each ward of Liverpool, West Derby constituency claim jobseekers allowance.

Chris Grayling: The total number of job seekers allowance recipients in Liverpool, West Derby parliamentary constituency at December 2010 was 3,861.
	The number of job seekers allowance recipients in each ward for Liverpool local authority at December 2010 was as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 Abercromby 650 
			 Aigburth 501 
			 Allerton 379 
			 Anfield 716 
			 Arundel 745 
			 Breckfield 624 
			 Broadgreen 660 
			 Childwall 350 
			 Church 471 
			 Clubmoor 580 
			 County 754 
			 Croxteth 415 
			 Dingle 604 
			 Dovecot 671 
			 Everton 524 
			 Fazakerley 521 
			 Gillmoss 677 
			 Granby 968 
			 Grassendale 312 
			 Kensington 998 
			 Melrose 713 
			 Netherley 351 
			 Old Swan 548 
			 Picton 712 
			 Pirrie 691 
			 Smithdown 477 
			 Speke 550 
			 St Mary's 663 
			 Tuebrook 926 
			 Valley 320 
			 Vauxhall 432 
			 Warbreck 858 
			 Woolton 287 
			  Notes: 1. Constituencies used are for the Westminster Parliament of May 2010. 2. These geographical areas are 2003 census CAS wards. 3. Highlighted wards are the only two identified from the postcode directory as being fully in Liverpool, West Derby constituency. Therefore as ward boundaries do not exactly match constituency boundaries we have provided the data for all wards in Liverpool local authority area. 4. Caseload data are unrounded. 5. Data are published at: https://www.nomisweb.co.uk  Source: Count of unemployment-related benefits, Jobcentre Plus computer systems (including clerically held cases)

Jobseeker's Allowance

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of the working age population of Wirral South constituency are in receipt of  (a) jobseeker's allowance,  (b) unemployment allowance,  (c) carer's allowance,  (d) disability living allowance,  (e) widow's benefit and/or bereavement benefit and  (f) other income support.

Chris Grayling: The information requested is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Working age client group split by statistical group in South Wirral constituency-May 2010 
			  Statistical group  Caseload  Population (percentage) 
			 All 5,810 13.9 
			 Job Seeker 1,160 2.8 
			 Incapacity Benefits 2,790 6.7 
			 Lone Parents 480 1.1 
			 Carer 560 1.3 
			 Others on Income Related Benefits 150 0.3 
			 Disabled 570 1.4 
			 Bereaved 120 0.3 
			  Notes: 1. Data is rounded to the nearest 10, percentages to one decimal place. 2. Constituencies used are for the Westminster Parliament of May 2010. 4. Percentage population figures have been calculated using ONS Population estimates as at 2007 for South Wirral Constituency for working age claimants, i.e. males aged 16 to 64 and females aged 16 to 59. 5. State Pension Age: The age at which women reach State Pension age will gradually increase from 60 to 65 between April 2010 and April 2020. This will introduce a small increase to the number of working age benefit recipients and a small reduction to the number of pension age recipients. As percentages were required this table has been prepared using males aged 16-64 and females aged 16-59 and will therefore not match published figures. 6. Statistical Group is a hierarchical variable. A person who fits into more than one category will only appear in the top-most one for which they are eligible. For example a claimant of Disability Living Allowance and Jobseekers Allowance would appear in "Job Seeker", not in "Disabled". 7. Lone Parents are defined as claimants on Income Support with child under 16 and no partner. Lone Parent Obligations were introduced from 24 November 2008 affecting the age of the youngest child. 8. From November 2008 the "incapacity benefits group" includes Employment and Support Allowance (ESA). ESA replaced Incapacity Benefit and Income Support paid on the grounds of incapacity for new claims from 27 October 2008. Prior to this the "incapacity benefits group" referred to claimants of Incapacity Benefit (including credits only) or Severe Disablement Allowance including people claiming IS on the grounds of incapacity. 
			 9. Caseload figures used for AA, CA and DLA include those cases with entitlement but where payment is currently suspended (for example, because of an extended stay in hospital or an overlapping benefit). 10. The key benefits which are currently included in the working-age client group data are: Bereavement Benefit Carer's Allowance Disability Living Allowance Incapacity Benefit Severe Disablement Allowance Income Support (including Pension Credit for males aged 60 to 64) Jobseeker's Allowance Widow's Benefit  Sources: 1. DWP Information Directorate 100% WPLS 2. ONS Mid-Term Population Estimates, 2007

Pensions: Females

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of women whose state pension age will increase by exactly two years under the proposed new timetable for state pension age.

Steve Webb: We estimate that approximately 33,000 women in Great Britain could face an increase of two years in their state pension age, relative to the current timetable, under the changes proposed in the Pensions Bill 2011.

DEFENCE

Armed Forces: Compensation and Pensions

Gemma Doyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the  (a) average,  (b) highest and  (c) lowest annual compensation payment has been to service personnel who have served in Iraq.

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many service personnel who served in Kosovo are in receipt of the armed forces pension;
	(2)  who served in Kosovo are in receipt of both an armed forces pension and payment from a compensation scheme.

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many service personnel who have served in Afghanistan are in receipt of  (a) compensation benefits and  (b) a service pension;
	(2)  what the  (a) average,  (b) highest and  (c) lowest annual pension payment has been to service personnel who have served in Afghanistan;
	(3)  what the  (a) average,  (b) highest and  (c) lowest annual compensation payment has been to service personnel who have served in Afghanistan.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 18 January 2011
	This information is not held in the format requested. The compensation and pension IT systems do not record the geographical or operational details of where an individual served.

Armed Forces: Compensation and Pensions

Michael Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much compensation has been paid to service personnel injured in Afghanistan in each regiment in each of the last nine years.

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many service personnel who have served in Iraq are in receipt of both an armed forces pension and a compensation scheme payment;
	(2)  how many service personnel who have served in Iraq are in receipt of an armed forces pension;
	(3)  what the  (a) average,  (b) highest and  (c) lowest annual compensation payment was to service personnel who served in Northern Ireland in the latest period for which figures are available;
	(4)  what the  (a) average,  (b) highest and  (c) lowest annual pension payment was to service personnel who served in Northern Ireland in the latest period for which figures are available;
	(5)  what the  (a) average,  (b) highest and  (c) lowest annual pension payment made by his Department to service personnel who have served in Iraq has been in the latest period for which figures are available.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many former service personnel who have served in Northern Ireland are in receipt of the armed forces pension;
	(2)  how many former service personnel who served in  (a) Northern Ireland and  (b) Bosnia are in receipt of both an armed forces pension and a compensation payment;
	(3)  what the  (a) average,  (b) highest and  (c) lowest annual pension payment is in respect of former service personnel who served in Bosnia in the latest period for which figures are available.

Gerald Howarth: holding answer 20 January 2011
	 This information is not held in the format requested. The compensation and pension IT systems do not record the geographical or operational details of where an individual served.

Armed Forces: Housing

Caroline Dinenage: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what  (a) long-term and  (b) short-term plans he has for the disused married quarters in and around Shackleton Road, Gosport.

Andrew Robathan: A recent review of Service Family Accommodation (SFA) within the Gosport area has identified a surplus of properties when set against the Ministry of Defence's future requirement.
	It is anticipated that a number of properties on the northern side of Shackleton Road will be handed back to Annington Homes Ltd.
	The remaining SFA across the area is considered core stock, and will continue to be used to house entitled service personnel and their families.

Armed Forces: Officers

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the number of senior officers in the Royal Navy compared with the number of such officers in the navies of major NATO allies;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the number of senior officers in the Royal Air Force compared with the number of such officers in the air forces of major NATO allies;
	(3)  what assessment he has made of the number of senior officers in the British Army compared with the number of such officers in the armies of major NATO allies.

Gerald Howarth: The Armed Forces of each of our NATO allies have a different shape and structure to meet that nation's particular defence requirements and its contribution in support of coalition objectives. It would therefore be pointless to compare the Service structure of those serving in the UK's armed forces with those of our major NATO allies and, accordingly, no such assessments are made.

Armed Forces: Pay

Thomas Docherty: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what salary bands were applied in each rank in each of the armed forces in the latest period for which figures are available.

Gerald Howarth: Pay for members of the armed forces holding the rank of Commodore, Brigadier or Air Commodore and below is recommended by the independent Armed Forces' Pay Review Body. Their 39th report can be found in the Library of the House, or at:
	http://www.ome.uk.com/AFPRB_Reports.aspx
	Pages 48 to 59 contain the recommended salary bands for this group and these recommendations were accepted in full.
	Pay for those officers holding the rank of Rear Admiral, Major General or Air Vice Marshal and above is recommended by the independent Senior Salaries Review Body. Their 32nd report is also available in the Library of the House, or at
	http://www.ome.uk.com/SSRB_Reports.aspx
	Pages 28 to 30 contain the recommended salary bands for this group and these recommendations were accepted in full.

Armed Forces: Pensions and Social Security Benefits

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will estimate the change in the level of  (a) disablement pension,  (b) disablement gratuity for a specified minor injury,  (c) unemployability allowance and  (d) invalidity allowance for a member of the armed forces at each rank in each of the three forces who lived to (i) 60, (ii) 65, (iii) 70, (iv) 75, (v) 80, (vi) 85, (vii) 90, (viii) 95 and (ix) 100 years and had (A) 10, (B) 20, (C) 25, (D) 30 and (E) 35 years' service as a result of the proposal to link pensions to consumer price index rather than the retail price index.

Russell Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what the estimated change is in the level of the benefit for unmarried dependents living as a spouse to be paid annually as a result of the change to link such pensions to the consumer prices index from the retail prices index;
	(2)  what the estimated change is in the level of the orphans' pension to be paid annually  (a) for the first child and  (b) for subsequent children as a result of the change to link such pensions to the consumer prices index from the retail prices index;
	(3)  what the estimate change is in the level of the annual rent allowance as a result of the change to link that allowance to the consumer prices index from the retail prices index;
	(4)  what the estimated change is in the level of an adult orphan's pension to be paid annually as a result of the change to link such pensions to the consumer prices index from the retail prices index.

Gemma Doyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  if he will estimate the change in mobility supplement payable to a member of each of the armed forces at each rank living until  (a) 60,  (b) 65,  (c) 70,  (d) 75,  (e) 80,  (f) 85,  (g) 90,  (h) 95 and  (i) 100 years following (i) 10, (ii) 20, (iii) 25, (iv) 30 and (v) 35 years of service arising from a calculation on the basis of the consumer prices index rather than the retail prices index;
	(2)  if he will estimate the change in comfort allowance payable to a member of each of the armed forces at each rank living until  (a) 60, (b) 65,  (c) 70,  (d) 75,  (e) 80,  (f) 85,  (g) 90,  (h) 95 and  (i) 100 years following (i) 10, (ii) 20, (iii) 25, (iv) 30 and (v) 35 years of service arising from a calculation on the basis of the consumer prices index rather than the retail prices index;
	(3)  if he will estimate the change in constant attendance allowance payable to a member of each of the armed forces at each rank living until  (a) 60,  (b) 65,  (c) 70,  (d) 75,  (e) 80,  (f) 85,  (g) 90,  (h) 95 and  (i) 100 years following (i) 10, (ii) 20, (iii) 25, (iv) 30 and (v) 35 years of service arising from a calculation on the basis of the consumer prices index rather than the retail prices index;
	(4)  if he will estimate the change in exceptionally severe disablement allowance payablesave-line3 to a member of each of the armed forces at each rank living until  (a) 60,  (b) 65,  (c) 70,  (d) 75,  (e) 80,  (f) 85,  (g) 90,  (h) 95 and  (i) 100 years following (i) 10, (ii) 20, (iii) 25, (iv) 30 and (v) 35 years of service arising from a calculation on the basis of the consumer prices index rather than the retail prices index;
	(5)  if he will estimate the change in severe disablement occupational allowance payable to a member of each of the armed forces at each rank living until (a) 60, (b) 65, (c) 70, (d) 75, (e) 80, (f) 85, (g) 90, (h) 95 and (i) 100 years following (i) 10, (ii) 20, (iii) 25, (iv) 30 and (v) 35 years of service arising from a calculation on the basis of the consumer prices index rather than the retail prices index.

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  if he will estimate the change in  (a) compensation benefit and  (b) pension payments per annum a 27 year-old corporal who lost both legs in Afghanistan would receive as a result of the change to link pensions to the consumer price index if he or she lived until (i) 60, (ii) 65, (iii) 70, (iv) 75, (v) 80, (vi) 85, (vii) 90, (viii) 95 and (ix) 100 years old and if in each such case he or she had served for (A) 10 and (B) 15 years;
	(2)  if he will estimate the change in pension a widow of a senior NCO would receive in total as a result of the change to link pensions to the consumer price index if she was widowed at the age of 40 and if she lived until  (a) 60,  (b) 65,  (c) 70,  (d) 75,  (e) 80,  (f) 85,  (g) 90,  (h) 95 and  (i) 100 years old and if, in each such case, her spouse had served for (i) 10, (ii) 20, (iii) 25, (iv) 30 and (v) 35 years;
	(3)  if he will estimate the change in widows' pension  (a) a widow and  (b) a widower with children of members of each rank of each armed service would receive per annum as a result of the change to link pensions to the consumer price index if he or she lived until (i) 60, (ii) 65, (iii) 70, (iv) 75, (v) 80, (vi) 85, (vii) 90, (viii) 95 and (ix)100 years old and if, in each such case, their spouse had served for had served for (A) 10, (B) 20, (C) 25, (D) 30 and (E) 35 years;
	(4)  if he will estimate the change in widows' pension (a) a widow and (b) a widower with no children of each armed service would receive per annum as a result of the change to link pensions to the consumer price index if he or she lived until (i) 60, (ii) 65, (iii) 70, (iv) 75, (v) 80, (vi) 85, (vii) 90, (viii) 95 and (ix) 100 years old and if, in each such case, their spouse had served for had served for (A) 10, (B) 20, (C) 25, (D) 30 and (E) 35 years;
	(5)  if he will estimate the change in clothing allowance a member of each rank of the armed forces would receive as a result of the change to link pensions to the consumer prices index if he or she lived until  (a) 60,  (b) 65,  (c) 70,  (d) 75,  (e) 80,  (f) 85,  (g) 90,  (h) 95 and  (i) 100 years old; and if, in each such case, they had served for (i) 10, (ii) 20, (iii) 25, (v) 30 and (v) 35 years.

Gerald Howarth: holding answer 20 January 2011
	I refer the hon. Members to the answer I gave on 17 January 2011,  Official Report, columns 587-589W) to the hon. Member for West Dunbartonshire (Gemma Doyle) and the hon. Member for North Durham (Mr Jones), and to the ministerial statement made by the Minister for Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans (Mr Robathan), on 9 December 2010,  Official Report, columns 34-36WS.

Departmental Procurement

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps  (a) his Department,  (b) its agencies and  (c) the non-departmental public bodies for which he is responsible have taken to comply with the Guidance of the Office of Government Commerce on promoting skills through public procurement issued in 2009.

Peter Luff: The guidance from the Office of Government Commerce in 2009 on promoting skills through public procurement was incorporated into Ministry of Defence (MOD) policy in August 2009. This included guidance and some standard wording for the supplier selection and contract award processes for all of the MOD's acquisition teams to use where it is relevant and proportionate to the specific procurement. I have also recently published a Green Paper which further considers the skills base within the UK defence sector.

Domestic Visits

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many visits in an official capacity  (a) he and  (b) each other Minister in his Department have made to (i) the North East, (ii) the North West, (iii) Yorkshire and Humberside, (iv) Scotland, (v) Wales, (vi) London, (vii) the South East, (viii) the South West, (ix) the East Midlands and (x) the West Midlands since May 2010.

Peter Luff: The information requested is provided in the following table:
	
		
			   Secretary of State  Minister for the Armed Forces  Minister for International Security Strategy  Minister for Defence Equipment, Support and Technology  Minister for Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans  Under-Secretary of State 
			 North-east 0 0 0 1 0 0 
			 North-west 0 0 2 1 1 0 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 1 0 1 0 0 0 
			 Scotland 2 1 0 2 1 0 
			 Wales 1 0 0 0 0 0 
			 London 33 1 37 14 31 2 
			 South-east 3 2 12 4 8 4 
			 South-west 3 4 2 10 3 3 
			 East midlands 2 1 3 0 1 0 
			 West midlands 2 4 0 2 3 0 
		
	
	The figures in the table include dinners, receptions and speeches as well as formal visits.

Hercules Aircraft

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many C-130 aircraft are at a high-level of readiness for search and rescue missions; and what the location is of each such aircraft.

Peter Luff: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 28 October 2010,  Official Report, columns 450-51W, to the hon. Member for East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow (Mr McCann), the right hon. Member for Coventry North East (Mr Ainsworth) and the hon. Member for North Durham (Mr Jones). The UK will continue to provide search and rescue services using a range of assets depending on the response required. This includes C-130 aircraft, which are tasked as required to support long-range search and rescue (SAR) missions. Long-range SAR is not a primary role for C-130 aircraft.
	The main operating base for the C-130 aircraft is RAF Lyneham; however C-130 aircraft operates from a number of locations around the world carrying out a range of military tasks.

Light Protected Patrol Vehicle Foxhound

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to announce the order of a second tranche of the Light Protected Patrol Vehicle Foxhound.

Peter Luff: An announcement on any future buy of Foxhound will be made following confirmation of the wider requirement.

Marines

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the effect of the implementation of the measures contained in the Strategic Defence and Security Review on the  (a) size,  (b) capability and  (c) deployability of the Royal Marines; and if he will make a statement.

Peter Luff: The Royal Marines will bear a share of the reduction in Naval manpower announced in the Strategic Defence and Security Review, although the exact numbers have yet to be determined. The Royal Marines' 3 Commando Brigade will provide a key element of our high readiness response force. With the Royal Navy's amphibious shipping, 3 Commando will have strategic reach and will be able to land and sustain from the sea a commando group of up to 1,800 personnel, together with protective vehicles and other equipment. Other elements of the Royal Marines will continue to undertake a wide range of tasks including protecting the nuclear deterrent and contributing to operations against piracy in the Indian Ocean.

Marines: Recruitment

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of his Department's requirement for Royal Marine recruits in  (a) 2010 and  (b) 2011;
	(2)  how much his Department spent on advertising for Royal Marine recruitment in the last six months for which figures are available;
	(3)  how many people joined the Royal Marines in the last six months for which figures are available.

Gerald Howarth: holding answer 20 January 2011
	A training year runs from April to March. In 2010-11, the gains to trained strength (ie fully trained status) target for Royal Marines Other Ranks was set at 695: we currently forecast achieving 730, from a total of 1,200 recruits entering the Commando Training Centre Royal Marines (CTCRM). For the same period, the target for Royal Marines Officers was set at 39: we are forecasting achievement of 45, from a total of 50 Officer recruits.
	We have assessed the gains to trained strength requirement for the 2011-12 training year to be 550 Other Ranks and 40 Officers. We anticipate that this will be achieved by an intake in the region of 840 Other Ranks and 50 Officer recruits to CTCRM.
	In the period July to December 2010, the Department spent £260,000 on recruitment advertising for the Royal Marines.
	In the six months from 1 May 2010 to 31 October 2010, 50 Officers and 670 Other Ranks entered CTCRM. These figures represent intake from civilian life and not all of them will have completed their training successfully. They do not therefore include promotions from Ranks to Officers or transfers in from another Service.
	Other than the gains to trained strength targets, all figures have been rounded to the nearest five or 10.

Nimrod Aircraft

Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what potential options for alternative use of the Nimrod MRA4 his Department considered prior to its cancellation.

Peter Luff: holding answer 17 January 2011
	The decision not to bring Nimrod MRA4 into service followed careful consideration of the aircraft's broader utility, and was taken as part of the Strategic Defence and Security Review. My officials then assessed a variety of alternative uses for the aircraft.
	The Government are satisfied that we considered all realistic uses, and that once the decision not to bring the aircraft in to service was made, the most cost-effective option was to cancel the project immediately. Work to remove component parts and equipment from the aircraft has now begun, with a view to start dismantling them in the next few weeks.

Nimrod Aircraft

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether any electronic equipment planned to be used on the Nimrod MR4A is to be used on other Royal Air Force aircraft.

Peter Luff: Major items of electronic equipment which were planned to be used on the Nimrod MRA4 to fulfil its operational role are being retained while potential future use on Royal Air Force aircraft or to meet other Ministry of Defence requirements is explored.

USA: AWE Management

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 13 December 2010,  Official Report, column 458W, on nuclear weapons, if he will publish the letter to the hon. Member for Newport West on visits to US establishments by AWE personnel in the last three years.

Peter Luff: Yes. A copy of my letter will be published in the  Official Report and a copy will be placed in the Library of the House.
	 Substantive answer from Peter Luff to Paul Flynn:
	In my answer to your Parliamentary Question on 13 December 2010, (Official Report: Column 458W), I undertook to write to you and provide details on the US establishments visited by personnel from the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE).
	This information has now been collated: the attached annex details the US establishments visited by AWE personnel in the years 2007, 2008 and 2009. This table covers those visits made under the terms of the US-UK Mutual Defence Agreement, which was the basis for the Answer to the hon. Member for Brighton Pavilion (Caroline Lucas) on 17 June 2010 (Official Report, column 503W).
	
		
			  Annex-Breakdown of US establishments visited by AWE personnel in each of the last three years 
			   Number of visits by AWE staff to each establishment 
			  US establishments visited by AWE personnel under  the terms of the US-UK Mutual Defence Agreement  2007  2008  2009 
			 US Dept of Defence, Pentagon 2 5 1 
			 Los Alamos National Laboratory 232 179 164 
			 National Nuclear Security Agency (NNSA) HQ Washington DC 33 66 29 
			 Sandia National Laboratory, New Mexico 179 187 189 
			 Sandia National Laboratory California 28 19 32 
			 Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory 173 124 166 
			 Honeywell Kansas City Plant 31 45 24 
			 Nevada Test Site 13 52 41 
			 Y12 Plant Oak Ridge 31 18 23 
			 ITT Crystal City 15 15 6 
			 BAE Washington DC 4 6 - 
			 Defence Threat Reduction Agency Washington 19 25 12 
			 NNSA Nevada Operations Office 25 - 5 
			 B&W Pantex Plant 30 27 26 
			 Lockheed Martin Missiles and Space Sunnyvale 11 12 13 
			 Strategic Systems Programme US Navy - 13 - 
			 Strategic Weapons Facility Atlantic - 6 - 
			 Savannah River National Laboratory 11 - 7 
			 Defence Intelligence Agency - 6 - 
			 Southern Research Institute - 3 - 
			 Remote Sensing Laboratory Nevada - 5 - 
			 Nevada Intelligence Centre - 26 - 
			 Naval Surface Warfare Centre 3 9 7 
			 Pax River Naval Air Systems Command - 2 - 
			 Oak Ridge National Laboratory 9 12 - 
			 Naval Research Laboratory 2 4 6 
			 DTI Associates 6 - - 
			 Fort Bragg - 2 - 
			 Systems Planning and Analysis - 1 - 
			 Air Force Technical Applications Centre Patrick Air Force Base 3 5 - 
			 Pacific Northwest National Laboratory 5 - 3 
			 Kirtland Air Force Base - - 9 
			 Miramar Air Station - - 3 
			 Federal Bureau of Investigation Quantico - - 2 
			 National Security Agency Fort George - - 1 
			 Cape Canaveral Air Force Station - - 1 
			 Wright Patterson Air Force Base - - 5 
			 Tonopah Test Range - - 1 
			 NNSA Service Centre Albuquerque - - 5 
			 Applied Physical Laboratory 2 - - 
			 Northrop Grumman 23 - - 
			 Lockheed Martin Missile and Space Company Cocoa Beach 3 - - 
			 Idaho National Laboratory 1 - - 
			 Strategic Weapons Facility Pacific 3 - - 
			 Defence Threat Reduction Agency Albuquerque 1 - - 
			 Applied Research Associates 1 - - 
			 Central Intelligence Agency 1 - - 
			 Savannah River Site - 2 6 
			 Total 900 876 787 
		
	
	The total numbers differ from those in the June 2010 answer as some staff visited more than one facility.

War Widows: Pensions

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many women are in receipt of a war widows pension from the Armed Forces Pension Scheme as a result of the death of a spouse serving in Afghanistan;
	(2)  how many men are in receipt of a war widowers pension from the Armed Forces Pension Scheme;
	(3)  how many men are in receipt of a war widowers pension from the Armed Forces Pension Scheme as a result of the death of a spouse serving in Afghanistan.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 17 January 2011
	The Armed Forces Pension Scheme (AFPS) is the occupational pension scheme for the three services including the reserves. The War Pension Scheme (WPS) is a benefit programme that provides no fault compensation to former service personnel and their dependants for injuries and death as a result of service before 6 April 2005.
	Under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) financial support is available in the form of a Survivor's Guaranteed Income Payment (SGIP) for the surviving dependants of service personnel who have died as a result of service on or after 6 April 2005. Surviving dependants include spouses (husband/wife/entitled partner) and children.
	The number of women and men in receipt of a pension under AFPS, WPS or a SGIP under AFCS, due to the death of a spouse or partner in Afghanistan, is set out in the following table:
	
		
			   Widows  Widowers 
			 AFPS(1) 115 (2)- 
			 WPS(3) 0 0 
			 AFCS(3) 100 0 
			 (1) Figures for AFPS are as at 14 January 2011. (2) Fewer than 5. (3) Figures for WPS and AFCS are as at 30 September 2010.  Note: All figures have been rounded to the nearest 5. 
		
	
	The total number of men in receipt of a widower's pension under AFPS, WPS or a SGIP under AFCS is set out in the following table:
	
		
			   Number 
			 AFPS(1) 130 
			 WPS(2) 75 
			 AFCS(2) (3)- 
			 (1) Figures for AFPS are as at 14 January 2011. (2) Figures for WPS and AFCS are as at 30 September 2010. (3) Fewer than 5.  Note: All figures have been rounded to the nearest 5.